© Andreas Scheidl
Named after a Piemontese alpine pass
© Andreas Scheidl
In 2014, STUDIOTORINO, the new company founded by the Stola family unveiled the Porsche Cayman one-off Moncenisio. The name is inspired by one of the most suggestive Alpine passes in Piedmont, located at an altitude of 2083 m. and one hour from Turin. The pass connects Italy to France, from the Piedmont region to the Savoyard region.
The intense blue color of the Moncenisio prototype recalls the suggestive reflections of the alpine lake, located at the top of the pass.
Its name is also related to motor racing: the “Susa – Moncenisio” race is traditionally recognized as the first uphill competition in the world. The debut edition dates back to 1902 and was won by Vincenzo Lancia on a Fiat 24 HP.
© Andreas Scheidl
Dedicated to a special person
The Porsche Moncenisio was born as heir to the STUDIOTORINO Coupé which was the RK model built for RUF in a limited serires till 2008. With the presentation of the new Cayman S type 981, STUDIOTORINO saw an opportunity to built this special one-off.
Designed by Daniele Gaglione who was in charge for the design of the Alfa Romeo 8C, this bespoke coupé has an unique and special body and was built using the mechanics of the Cayman, keeping its original engine and safety systems. The Moncenisio was carried out with the most traditional methods of the Turin craftmanship and was also admired by the Porsche Design Center, when STUDIOTORINO presented it in Weissach in 2014 on an unofficial event.
The prototype is identified by a plate with the code S.F. 1/1 and is dedicated to the memory of Francesco Stola father of Alfredo. With the Moncenisio, STUDIOTORINO aim was to share with its customers the passion for rare sports cars and at the same time, to continue the family tradition that has been present for over ninety-five years in the Italian coachbuilding sector.
© Andreas Scheidl
White Gold and a special interior
Details that matter: the Moncenisio features 3 special white gold plaques handmade by a jeweller: 2 on the exterior and 1 in the interior with a special dedication to Alfredos father.
© Andreas Scheidl
The colors of the Moncenisio pass can be found also in the interior, with the already seen blue color of the exterior, and with the addition of 2 tones of green which recalls mountain vegetation creating a very relaxing enviornment.
The Artic Experience
In 2015 the reliability of the mechanics of the Porsche Cayman on which the Moncenisio was built and the custom elements like the new side air intakes and the front bumber were tested with a long journey of 1589 km from Rovaniemi to Nordkapp and back. From the Arctic Circle in Finland to the most northern point in the world reachable on a paved road. The goal was to test the prototype in extreme weather conditions making the Moncenisio the the first “Supercar-Fuoriserie” to reach the steel globe of Nordkapp in winter.
Watch our video interview with Alfredo Stola here.